Paso Pinot Producers celebrate Pinot and Paella Festival

Heady aromas of saffron and spice mixed with smoky meats wafted through the tree-shaded Templeton Community Park as pinot-philes and paella fans gathered together at the 15th Annual Pinot and Paella Festival.

Presented by the Paso Pinot Producers, the popular event showcased 20 local pinot producers offering their artisanal pinot noirs paired with paella cooked up by 15 local chefs. Each culinary expert added his/her spin on this one-pan Spanish dish, with one ingredient common being the use of Spanish Bomba rice.

The park offered a picnic ambiance as attendees spread out blankets and chairs, enjoying the upbeat music of the Paso Wine Man Band led by singer Casey Biggs who also served as the festival’s emcee.

While there were several chefs who served the traditional seafood style including chef Andre Averseng of Paso Terra restaurant (last year’s winner), there were others who opted to do the paella sans seafood (perhaps being mindful of people’s allergies). Chef Dallas Holt added a tropical theme with coconut and pineapple to his pork and chicken paella. Gabriel Diaz of Sabor de Gabriel’s chicken version was dressed with vegetables; sous chef Benjamin Luge at Cello Ristorante & Bar at Allegretto Vineyard Resort added chorizo to his chicken paella.

Trumpet Vine Catering’s chef Elaine Rivera Glenn layered her paella with a medley of seafood including Spanish octopus, chicken and chorizo garnished with shisito peppers. Neeta Mittal (owner of LXV Wine) did a non-traditional vegan take with vegetables, cranberries and pomegranates. She also offered a shot of mango sorbet as a palate cleanser that was most refreshing in between morsels of pork, chorizo and assorted seafood.

It was chef Jeffry Wiesinger’s wine country paella “made with love” and Portuguese sausage that nabbed the top People’s Choice award though.

His secret?

“Home-made stock and sauces extracted from shrimp shells and chicken bones,” he revealed. This is the fourth win for the chef and his wife Kathleen who will soon open their eatery, Jeffry’s Wine Country BBQ, in downtown Paso.

The runner-up kudos in the People Choice Awards went to Mittal, Averseng and Rivera Glenn.

The paella flavors were further heightened when paired with silky, seductive pinot noirs crafted by Paso producers, some using local fruit while others sourced from cooler regions such as Monterey and Santa Barbara Counties.

Angie and Adam Lazarre

The festival was started in 2004 by Marc Goldberg and Maggie D’Ambrosia (owners of Windward Vineyard) as a community grass roots gathering by pinot-fanatics. The criteria at the time was that winery participants use only local Paso fruit in their pinot noir wines. “We have just allowed pinot producers who use fruit from other areas,” Goldberg commented on the recent changes.

Indeed, rules have relaxed over the years since Paso is not a region known for pinot noir and many local winemakers use fruit from other Central Coast regions.

However, Goldberg is quick to point out that pinot has been growing in Paso since the 1960s when pioneer vintner Dr. Stanley Hoffman planted this variety at his Hoffman Mountain Ranch in the cool Adelaida Hills district.

“We hope that eventually we see more pinot from Paso,” said Goldberg carrying the region’s pinot flag. “It’s rapidly growing,” he affirmed.

Among the wineries offering pinots crafted from local Paso fruit were Windward, Jack Creek Cellars, Carmody McKnight, Asuncion Ridge and Sculpterra. Then there was the special 2016 Full Circle pinot noir from Tablas Creek Vineyard, a winery known for its Rhône style wines. The pinot from the Templeton Gap District is made from Haas Vineyard, a small patch that was planted by the late Robert Haas in front of his house in Templeton.

Derby Estate’s pinots and sparkling wines from the wind-swept vineyards in San Simeon showed cool climate freshness. Bodega de Edgar’s 2016 Steiner Creek pinot noir was another from breezy Cambria region. Both these areas do not have their appellation designate yet so they come under San Luis Obispo County AVA.

There were several refreshing pinot noir rosès: Hoyt Family Vineyards’ from the Willow Creek district and Lazarre Wines Vin Gris made in a lighter Provençal style were welcome sips on a warm afternoon.

The festival has become so popular that fans book their tickets a year in advance. In fact, Marc Goldberg informed me that as soon as this year’s festival is over, the 2019 ticket sales will go online within one month. However, D’Ambrosia added, ”We limit it to 500 — only for pinot connoisseurs.”

Funds raised from the event benefit Paso Robles Youth Arts Foundation (PRYAF) and other local charities. Each year around $40,000 is donated to PRYAF, Goldberg noted.

Over the 14 years, Goldberg assessed that the event has raised over $425,000. “We hope to hit half a million in the next couple of years,” he said with confidence.

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About The Author

Mira Honeycutt brings more than 20 years of experience as a wine journalist and consultant. She is the US contributor to Sommelier India Wine Magazine and her articles on California and European wine regions have been published in the Hong Kong Tatler, Asian Wall Street Journal, The Hollywood Reporter, Napa Valley Register and Los Angeles Magazine. She was a contributing wine blogger on Los Angeles’ popular radio station KCRW’s Good Food. Based in Paso Robles, Honeycutt chronicled the local food/wine scene in her column Sip and Savor in Paso Robles Daily News and served as the curator of the recently published book, “The Winemakers of Paso Robles.” Honeycutt is the author of “California’s Central Coast, The Ultimate Winery Guide: From Santa Barbara to Paso Robles.” Published in 2007 the book was the first of its kind to straddle the wine regions of Santa Barbara and Paso Robles and helped place Paso’s then emerging wine region in a prominent position on California’s wine map. As a consultant to the Asia Society of Southern California, she made her mark as the founder and producer of the Asia Pacific Food & Wine festival held at the 20th Century Fox Studios. Honeycutt served on the board of the American Institute of Wine & Food and curated gourmet events in Los Angeles restaurants.